


The Kidquisition

by Maiera



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Children are actually smart, Kidquisitor, Rich kids aren't always spoiled, Sometimes they just have crazy parents, They're already protective of the smol Inquisitor, Who knew?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2016-08-23
Packaged: 2018-04-30 00:46:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5144129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maiera/pseuds/Maiera
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When auntie Lucille takes Corsair to the Conclave to 'acclimate her to politics,' things go rather poorly. How would an eight year old Herald work? Let's find out!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Well, this bed is cold and hard. It feels like a terrible floor in some dungeon. Hold on, never mind. It  _is_ a terrible floor in some dungeon. I don't think I was grounded, is this one of Momma's wierd faith tests again? Trust in the Maker to save you! Well, no. It's usually Nan that saves me.

There are four men in armor watching me, so I shouldn't make too much of a fuss, if they tell Daddy I threw a hissy fit, then I'll never get that pretty new dress from Orlais! And my birthday is so close.

Before I can finish my thoughts, a lady bursts through the door that is decidedly not Nan. She seems mad... I try to look my absolute cutest for her, puppy eyes always work on Momma, and this lady seems similar enough with the Chantry motifs all over her outfit.

"Tell me child, do you remember anything about the Conclave before waking up today?" She looks at me like I'd break. Hmph, I may be tiny, but Nan says I'm really clever a lot.

"Of course, auntie T had sent me outside to mingle. Promise you won't tell her I snuck inside to meet the Divine? She's really nice." She smelled like peppermint. Don't think I'd ever met someone who smelled like peppermint that wasn't nice.

"Do you not remember how you got the mark on your hand?" The lady looks down to my left hand, where it starts to feel like somebody stepped on it, glowing green?

"No, ma'am, that's new." I try my very hardest to not show that it hurts so much. Maybe if I look strong, I can convince her to tell me whatever she's holding back? The lady is clearly trying to hide something, she isn't a very good liar. "Why am I here, ma'am? Where'd Nan go, she was with auntie T right?" Nan had told me that if I waited for her like a good little lady, then she would sneak me one of the chocolates that auntie likes to bring. 

"I am afraid everyone besides you who was at the Conclave are all gone now, child." Oh. That's the sugar coat voice, I'd know that voice anywhere.

"I'm a warrior, ma'am. You can tell me if they died, I won't cry, promise." I never much liked auntie, but Nan had raised me, I knew her as long as I could remember, singing me her songs from the forest. Who would sing me her lullabies now? Momma and Daddy never bothered learning them, and the other servants all had better things to do than learn some song in 'forest gibberish'! But I wouldn't cry. I don't break promises, and it was as much for me as for this lady.

"Of course, miss. I am afraid you will have to live up to that, however." She knelt down to my eye level. "The explosion that had killed them opened up the world of demons, and we cannot close it without your help."

They need me? "Do I get pretty armor like you? And a greatsword! I practiced really well for when I could become a templar like Annette did! I can be really scary on the field and shout at people really hard!" I got a really big grin on my face, picturing me in shiny armor with a huge sword in my hands. I would be the best warrior ever!

She laughed at me. No, she really laughed at me. "I appreciate the optimism, little one. However, the  _world_ is at stake. I shall handle the yelling ang fighting." Spoilsport...

"How can I be the hero if I don't get to save the day myself? " THe green glowy thing acts up again. Stupid thing, I have to bite back tears. I gotta look tough or I can't help out! It gets stronger and stronger and- I winced in pain, doublling over. No fair, I'm strong, I prommise!

The lady picks me up. "Come along, little one. We should head out." We were underneath a Chantry? Figures. "What is your name, little one?"

I puff up my chest, because my name is special. "Corsair, ma'am. Corsair Andra Trevelyan, youngest daughter of Bann Trevelyan. 'Modest in temper, bold in deed.' That's what I'm supposed to tell people, anyways." I slink back into her arms. Why is she so warm, isn't armor cold? "Most people just call me Rags."

"And why would they call you Rags?" We're leaving the town walls now.

"Because that's all I get, the rags. Only reason I had Nan was because I was the last one left with Momma and Daddy in the estate. She was really old, and they decided they may as well keep her on until I grew up enough. She always said before every soiree,'My little Rags has gone to Riches,'"

"How sweet. Your Nan seems like a nice woman." The lady gives a warm smile befor the bridge we're crossing collapses.

I gave out a tiny shriek as the lady yelled "Get behind me!" And so I did as I was told. She looked really scary when she was fighting. I wouldn't want to be the demons right now. Or at all, really. Demons look really icky.

One of the green holes sprouted up by me, and so I had to think fast. I found a sword on a crate, and dived in for it. Not the best idea when on ice, but I got my footing in time enough to swing my body around and slice through the demon! Then, another sword had come out of its back, making ooze go everywhere. Gross...

"Put the weapon back." The lady didn't even flinch at the fact there was demon goop on my face, but I managed to wipe it off in time before she snatched my sword.

"Hey! I need that! I can fight too, didn't you see?" Stupid lady! I try and grab it but she's so tall, is she an Avvar or something?

"I can protect you well enough, and you don't need to be playing with sharp objects." She took my sword and put it in her pack. Heh, what she doesn't know is that Nan taught me how to be sneaky while the guards taught me swordplay. That included pickpocketing, if needed. And guess what's needed?

I wait until she stopped trying to talk to me, taking my silence as a little fit. I pull a little frown to play along. Then, as she's scouting the next area, I snatch the sword sticking out of the pack. I shall name it Defiance. It's just big enough to hide in my outfit without looking wierd.

"There is a rift ahead, we can test the mark there." There was the sound of fighting up ahead. "Stay back here until we get rid of the demons, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am." My voice says defeated, but my mind is screaming rebellion.

Once I notice she's been safely distracted, I grab my sword and charge into battle! I manage to take down two demons on my own by the time everyone else was done.

One of the men that was fighting lifts me up onto his shoulders and grabs my hand. "Quickly, before more come through!" There's a pull from my hand to the little sky hole and  I manage to keep from crying this time!

"Wait... You brought a child out here, Seeker? And you let her fight!" There was a dwarf with a lot of chest hair and a crossbow. So floofy. "Well, the name's Varric Tethras, rogue, storyteller, and now I can add babysitter to the list."

The man who grabbed me bows his head. Or is he just looking down at me? "My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions. What is your name, da'len?" Hmm... His smile looks fake, and his eyes dilated and scrunched up a bit. He's panicking.

"My name is Corsair, ser." I bow to the two new adults. "Thank you for helping me close the rift. I don't know how to really keep this from hurting on my own." I look at it angrily, as if staring would make it leave. It didn't, though. "But don't worry, I'm strong enough that it doesn't hurt too bad!" Then it clicked. "Wait, what did you call me?"

He looked confused, "Da'len? It means 'little one' in Elven. Why?"

"That's what Nan would call me when nobody else was around! So that's what it means..."

"Your grandmother's elven? I pegged you as a noble's kid." Varric was walking with me, glancing into the tree line every now and then.

"What? No! She's my nanny. She takes care of me when Momma and Daddy are busy. Which tends to be always... She was one of the elves that had tatoos."

"You mean the Dalish?" Solas was listening and peering over his shoulder every now and then.

"Yeah, them! She said her family was lost, so she came here for work. She already had skills in taking care of children, so she became Nan. I always offered to let her try to find her family, but she'd always say here was home now. After a while, I stopped asking."

After that there was a long time nobody talked. Then, there was another one of those rifts nearby.


	2. Chapter 2

Cassandra was still trying to wrap her head around what was happening. Everyone else had said the prisoner was suspect for the explosion at the Conclave, but she was a child! She couldn't be older than six! Despite this, Corsair seems a little too smart for her own good, stealing from a Seeker on any other day, in any other situation, would have been suicide.

With that in mind, Corsair fought surprisingly well. Cassandra had thought her frail, as any young noble girl would be, yet  _this_ young girl wielded a short sword better than some of the recruits. Not that she would voice that opinion, Cassandra still believed the girl shouldn't be fighting.

As they tore through the rift, Solas was having a very slight meltdown. A child! A little girl, being consumed by his mark. He had hoped he took away most of the pain, but the constant water on the edges of her eyes said otherwise...

He had to find a way to stop the mark from spreading. That could give him enough time to get rid of it, right? He truly hoped his internal screaming was covered enough by the mask he has put in place. To anyone else, it could be seen as panic from the end of the world, yes?

 Varric was... well, Varric was just trying not to get swept away by everything happening. First his book got stabbed, then he was released to an explosion risking the world. Which can only be saved by a child smaller than he is.

This was definitely going in a book, assuming he survives... A bolt fired. To keep from stressing out, he begins brainstorming titles. A bolt fired. He would have called it something along the lines of 'This shit is weird', but with a child protagonist? No, he would need something a little more mild that still grabbed attention. A bolt fired. And now another rift, taken care of. Bianca safe on his back. A child saving the world...

There's one thing they could all agree on. This child needs to be protected, in any way possible.


	3. Chapter 3

While we head up the mountain path- I got to choose our route!- I began humming one of my favorite songs. It helps take some of the pain in my arm away, probably just because I'm not paying attention to it, but still. What works works.

"That's a nice tune, where'd you learn that? Nan?" Ser Tethras was being sardonic. Sarcastic? Maybe both. Dunno.

"Nope, Momma had gotten me a music box for my 6th birthday! The notes kind of stumbled, but it just added character! I even made up my own words to it."

"Oh really, now? Woah-watch your step!" I almost slipped down to- nope. Nu-uh. Not looking down. Looking down is a bad.

"I heard that trading luxury for practicality was a slippery slope to a noble's demise, but now I think they were being literal. There aren't any carriages that survived the world-ending explosion, by any chance, are there?" Ha, slippery slope.

"Ha! At least we found the one noble girl with a sense of humor! Nice wordplay, there, by the way."

"Thank you! I just wish I didn't have to have my life in danger for this setup..."

We ended up in a mining tunnel that looked more like an extension of the temple than anything. Or maybe it wasn't a mine? The elf had asked about it and I was only vaguely paying attention, I was bust trying not to fall off a mountain in my defense. I chopped right through one of the green ones! I was pretty happy about that, until the dwarf had killed another in one hit. But that means I'm about as good as an adult! So ha, take that, Annette. I _was_ ready for battle. All shall fear my tiny fists of fury...

There was another rift and a bunch of people who were hanging around it for some reason? I mean, good on them for being brave, but they don't have a glowing hand to make it stop, so they were also being pretty stupid...

"Thank you for helping us, Lady Seeker. Any longer and I fear we wouldn't have made it out alive..."

"Of course, Lieutenant. Any life saved from this is worth it. Make your way back to Haven, the path there has been cleared already."

"Yes, ser. Right away. Good luck." The group had started back down to the town while we headed down more ladders.

"Steel yourself, we are nearing the Breach... You may want to look away, Corsair." The woman, Cassandra, gave me a withering look.

"Oh, so... Look up? To the sky hole? Or, did you mean look down to the people caught in the blast? I suppose I could close my eyes and walk into a wall?"  I mean, there's bad stuff everywhere. I look up, though. Lesser of two evils and all that. "Sorry. That was rude of me... But I'm the only one who can stop this, right? So the sooner I can do that, the sooner things go back to normal. But if you tell me to ignore it, then I can't fix it. I can be strong, I promise. I have to be, now."

As we entered the ruins, the adults all seemed to be stricken silent. There was what used to be a balcony jutting out of the ground. I could probably hop down there...

"What are you-!"

A boom came from above me, and a shadowy figure was there with the Divine. He sounds like the kind of villian you hear about in stories. But then, I hear a door and the image shifts.

There's me, peeking into the room! "Miss Justinia? Are you okay?"

A huff of air from the bad guy. "Slay the urchin." Then an explosion, and the images disappear. 

"So you were there... Do you remember anything? Who was that?"

I furrow my brows and concentrate, but all that comes up is... "Red. Lots of red. But, glowy red, not deep and shiny like blood." I glance around and find a large glowing crystal. "Like that! But a person? Kind of? I don't know..."

"Red lyrium... A person made of red lyrium?" Varric sighs loudly. "Because a hole spewing demons wasn't a big enough problem." He hisses kind of, but I think he was just filtering himself. 

"Either way, we should close the Breach. I believe in order to close it fully, we must open it up. Corsair?"

I nod in understanding. "Got it!"

Don't got it! Don't got it! I ran around, using the mark and killing off shades while the others took care of the huge demon!

This time, the giant one was kneeling in pain when I did the thing with the mark, and there was a huge blast. I was slammed against something too squishy to be a wall...

"Da'len, don't sleep!" The squishy thing I hit was Solas... hm.

My eyes kept getting heavier, and honestly, I was happy to comply. I blacked out.


	4. Chapter 4

I heard the door open and pushed down a groan, my stomach feels really empty. Before I could think too long on the wierd room I woke up in, a thud came from by the door.

"Oh! Apologies, my lady. I-I didn't know you were awake." The servant girl bowed on all fours.

I just giggled at her for a bit. "There's no need for that. I'm not really _that_ important."

She stumbled back up before speaking again. "They say you helped save us? You're the Herald, right? Thank you, miss."

"Woah, wait! I'm a herald, now?!" I grinned ear to ear before whispering to myself, "Sweet..."

"W-well that's just what I've heard. Didn't mean anything by it... But- Seeker Pentaghast said she should be told right away if you woke up. 'At once', she said. She's in the Chantry."

I nod and hum to the leaving elf. Looking down, the dress I wore was torn to bits at the skirt, oh. And this one was one of my favorites!

I look around and find a set of armor in a chest below the window, as well as an enchanted sword! I equip my new gear and head out to the Chantry, but there's a large crowd lining the streets. 

"That's her, they say Andraste saved her from the blast."

"But why would She send a child to us, it makes no sense."

"The Maker works in mysterious ways, my friend, who knows?"

Did they think I couldn't hear them, maybe? They were pretty bad at being quiet.

At least the crowd led straight to the Chantry, even if the remarks still happened until I got inside.

Once I did, there was arguing over me I think? Seeker Pentaghast and Chancellor Roderick could be heard throughout the hall. 

Momma always said eavesdropping on allies is rude, especially if you get caught. So, I rush to the door and entered it as gracefully as I could, closing the door with a soft thud.

"Get the girl. We must take her back to Ostwick, before the Trevelyans begin to think we're holding her hostage." The chancellor sighed in defeat. He doesn't seem to like me much.

"As much as I would love to agree... Guards. Leave us." The two adults looked mad, but thankfully it was more towards the situation than anyone in particular.

"We already walk a dangerous line, Seeker. If th-"

"Yes! I am well aware, Chancellor Roderick. You have made that point very clear. However, we need her. She holds the mark, no other could close the Breach entirely, or even the rifts that persist."

I rested my head on the table, cushioning my chin with my arms. "Just because I'm young doesn't mean I can't speak for myself. I want to be here. I want to help! Besides, once they hear that I was taken under the wings of a Seeker, then they'll stop bothering you, right?"

"My child, whoever told you that the Seeker would be training you?" Roderick glanced down at me.

"I did. I want to be a warrior, and Seekers are supposed to be really good at fighting. Plus, if I was under the tutelage of the Right Hand herself? My parents would never squander such an opportunity."

Lady Pentaghast sighs a lot, I've noticed. "Very well. If you must stay here anyways, we may as well have you somewhat fit for battle. This means daily training, understood? There will be no going easy on you because of status or age, as a creature of the wilds or a demon will make no such distinction."

"Yes, ma'am!" I saluted her, as fit for her station and everything!

And so starts my road to becoming the bestest hero, ever!


End file.
